Ilwaco
Ilwaco is a city in Pacific County, Washington. The population was 936 at the 2010 census. History Ilwaco was first settled by Henry Feister in 1851, and was named for Elwahko Jim, the son in law of Chief Comcomly. Ilwaco was officially incorporated on December 16, 1890. A narrow gauge railway, Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company, ran for over thirty years. Similarly to the nearby city of Astoria, Oregon, and the surrounding communities, Ilwaco historically had a significant population of Finnish immigrants. The railroad ran north up First Street in Ilwaco. A published photo shows the railroad's Ilwaco facilities, including a gallows turntable and elevated watering trough, were located on the southwest corner of the intersection of First and Spruce streets. The depot was built nearby on Spruce Street. A siding was built for the Ilwaco Mill and Lumber Company. A published photo shows the passenger depot on the west side of First Street, at a point 14.8 miles (23.8 km) from the Ilwaco Depot to Nahcotta. The Ilwaco freight depot was in a different building. The freight depot survived to modern times, and has been relocated to become part of the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum. The train ran out on the dock in Ilwaco. Floating logs were stored behind log booms on the west side of the Ilwaco dock. At some point after 1890, First Street had been covered with wooden planks, and remained so until 1916, when it was paved over. By 1915, a published photo shows many more businesses along First Street. In addition to the city's logging industry, it has had a history as a cranberry producer, with cranberry bogs located immediately north of its downtown. Geography Directly to the north of Ilwaco is Oceanview, Holman, Seaview, and Long Beach. West is the Pacific Ocean. South is Fort Canby, Cape Disappointment and Astoria, Oregon across the Columbia River. Southeast is Chinook and McGowan. East is Stringtown. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.93 square miles (15.36 km2), of which, 2.10 square miles (5.44 km2) is land and 3.83 square miles (9.92 km2) is water. Ilwaco is located at 46°18′45″N 124°1′47″W (46.312541, -124.029688) on the Long Beach Peninsula. Climate Ilwaco's climate is cool during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 50's and cold during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 40's. The warmest month of the year is September with an average maximum temperature of 67.00 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of 35.20 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperature variations between night and day tend to be fairly limited during summer with a difference that can reach 15 degrees Fahrenheit, and fairly limited during winter with an average difference of 13 degrees Fahrenheit. The annual average precipitation at Ilwaco is 81.19 Inches. Winter months tend to be wetter than summer months. The wettest month of the year is December with an average rainfall of 12.37 Inches.Category:Pacific County Category:Cities & Towns Category:Washington State Wiki